New York Giants: Sterling Sherpard Will Win Offensive Rookie of the Year

The New York Giants have one sensational wide receiver in Odell Beckham Jr., but rookie Sterling Shepard should make a name for himself in year one.

Leading up to the NFL Draft, it seemed like all anyone was interested in talking about was the New York Giants’ glaring hole at the No. 2 wide receiver position.

Rueben Randle had since left town to join the rival Eagles, and Victor Cruz was — and still is — a question mark because of his health.

Well, the Giants addressed the WR deficiency in the draft, and the team now has another incredibly talented receiver to line up opposite Odell Beckham Jr.

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That talented receiver is former Oklahoma standout Sterling Shepard, whom the Giants nabbed in the second round of the draft.

Entering the draft, what set Shepard apart from other rookie receivers was his innate route-running ability. Watching his college tape, it seems like there was a litany of blown coverage. However, the truth is much simpler: Shepard is just enormously difficult to stick with on routes, especially ones involving double-moves.

The son of the late Derrick Shepard, Sterling has all the intangibles. He’s expecting nothing, and earning everything. He’s mentally tough, and he has the potential to be something truly special.

After going back and watching his film, what impressed me the most about Shepard — other than his route-running fluidity — was his fearlessness to go across the middle. Some guys are petrified of being hit after making catches. Shepard isn’t one of those guys, and he has no issues making catches in traffic.

Aside from that, he has terrific hands and ability to haul in sideline, tip-toe catches. He’s everything the Giants needed in a No. 2 receiver.

The reason I think Shepard will win Offensive Rookie of the Year is based on the opportunity he has. Unlike fellow rookie wide receivers Laquon Treadwell and Josh Doctson, Shepard is benefiting from playing with a proven, reliable, big-number quarterback. Unlike Tyler Boyd — who is the third option behind A.J. Green and Tyler Eifert — Shepard is already a lock to be the team’s second option in the air. And unlike Corey Coleman, the first receiver off the board, Shepard has the pleasure of playing with OBJ.

There’s no way Shepard is double-teamed, regardless of how productive he is. Teams simply can’t afford to not allocate two defensive backs to guard Beckham, which is going to give Shepard an immense amount of opportunities. Add in the fact that Cruz may finally be even remotely healthy, and you have a scary amount of one-on-one chances for Shepard.

Actually, Cruz doesn’t even have to be all the way healthy. I’ve said before that if he can be 70 percent of the player he was in 2013, than the Giants passing attack will reek of awesomeness.

Don’t forget, Shepard is playing with a future Hall of Fame quarterback who has been stellar in Ben McAdoo’s west-coast offense.

In my mind, Shepard’s biggest competition is Dallas Cowboys’ rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott. Like Shepard, Elliott is the beneficiary of going to a perfect system. However, I don’t expect the Cowboys to simply hand Elliott starting RB duties. He’ll likely split carries with Alfred Morris and — when he’s healthy — Darren McFadden.

Furthermore, Shepard has the edge over Elliott based on simple math. There’s only one running back on the field at a time, whereas most offenses in today’s NFL feature three receivers.

From an outside perspective, it’s tough to gauge just how good Shepard can be. The general public doesn’t have access to practices during the majority of the offseason, which makes us wait until at least the preseason to truly see how good a player can be.

Beckham Jr., who is a person who would probably know Shepard’s potential the best, played coy when reporters asked him about the ex-Sooner.

“He’s (Shepard) gonna be a phenomenal player,” Beckham Jr. said, according to Giants.com. “He can run routes, he can catch, he can pretty much do it all. So I’m definitely looking forward to seeing him develop…I feel like I really know what he’s capable of…I’d rather just let him shock the world than spill his secrets.”

High praise from the Giants’ best playmaker is nothing new for Shepard. OBJ tweeted his thoughts on the pick back in April.

Shepard is going to step in and make a big impact, provided he stays healthy. At this point, all he really needs to do is to continue familiarizing himself with the playbook. If he can do that, there’s really not much holding him back from making a big impact in his first year.

I’m not the only one who has a lot of good things to say about Shepard, either. Art Stapleton, who covers the Giants for The Record, said Shepard’s rookie ceiling may be similar to Cruz’s 2011.

For those of you whom forget how dynamic Cruz was that year, he posted 1,536 yards and nine touchdowns that year.

I’m not prepared to say Shepard is ready for that kind of production, but he has 1,000-yard potential for sure. People have done less — Percy Harvin in 2009 — than 1,000 yards and one the award, as well.

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Any way you slice it, Shepard is going to be a big part of New York’s offense in his first year. But his entire body of work is what sets him apart from other former early round picks. Unlike David Wilson, he’s not already reserving himself a bust in the Hall of Fame. Unlike Ereck Flowers, he’s not being thrust into a situation he’s not ready for.

Watch out for Shepard in 2016, and don’t be shocked at all to see him win Offensive Rookie of the year, giving the Giants one of the best receiver tandems in the league for years to come.